OVERALL

Company Ownership

Has made investments in more than 250 companies since 1984 including Toys'R'Us, MYOB and Gymboree. Bain has about US$17 billion in assets. Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for USA president in 2012, was a co-founder of the company.

Company Assessment

Responsible Sourcing Network's 2014 report Cotton Sourcing Snapshot: A Survey of Corporate Practices to End Forced Labor includes survey results and ratings of 49 companies reflecting actions they are taking to stop cotton from Uzbekistan picked with forced labor from entering their supply chains. The survey offered a maximum of 100 points across 11 indicators in the categories of Policy, Public Disclosure, Engagement, and Implementation & Auditing. Only five companies scored over 50 points, 19 companies (including this company) scored under 25 points, and two companies scored zero.[Source 2014][More on Human Rights]

The Gynboree Corporation breached the meal break laws of Massachusetts resulting in the payment of $463,000 to current and former managers, penalties to the Commonwealth and allocation for updating company policies.[Source 2012][More on Workers Rights]

Maid in India', a 2012 report by two Dutch NGOs (SOMO and ICN) revealed how workers in the South Indian garment and textile industry continue to suffer exploitative working conditions while making garments for Western brands. While some recent improvements have been made, thousands of girls work under recruitment and employment schemes that amount to bonded labour. This company was shown to be sourcing from one or more of the four garment manufacturers investigated, and failed to respond to a review request. [Listed under Information due to age of report][Source 2012][More on Workers Rights]

Named in the International Labor Rights Forum's "Sweatshop Hall of Shame 2010", which highlights apparel and textile companies that use sweatshops in their global production. [Listed under Information due to age or report][Source 2010][More on Workers Rights]

California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.[Source 2016][More on Human Rights]

In 2014 this company agreed to pay US$54 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that the Boston firm and several other major private equity firms colluded to keep rivals from outbidding them on giant buyout deals.[Source 2014][More on Governance]

This 2012 report by the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights reveals how Bain Capital owned Sensata Technologies pays their young women workers in China just 99 cents to $1.35 an hour to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. These workers have no freedom of religion, no freedom of speech, no political freedoms and no right to the International Labor Organization's internationally recognized labor rights standards. [Listed under Information due to age of report][Source 2012][More on Workers Rights]

Mitt Romney, US presidential candidate in 2012, was head of this company when fraud was committed. When the fraud was reported to the US Department of Justice (2001), he 'retroactively retired'(1999) to conceal his involvement and avoid investigation. President George W. Bush's appointment of a lawyer from this company's secret law firm as a US Attorney guaranteed Romney would not be investigated despite public docket records, FEC and SEC filings showing that he profited from corruption, fraud and racketeering.[Source 2012][More on Finance]

OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.[Source 2014]